Pair cycle 10,000km across Africa for hospice

3 hours ago

Alice CunninghamSuffolk

News image — Robin Hutchinson (left) and Cam Wheeler (right) spent four months cycling from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to Cape Town in South Africa

Contributed Two young men stand in front of a grassy hilly area and smile at the camera. One wears a white T-shirt and has black dreadlocks. He holds his bike in one hand while resting his other arm behind his back. The other has curly blonde hair, is shirtless, has glasses on and raises his thumb. He sits on top of his bike. — Robin Hutchinson (left) and Cam Wheeler (right) spent four months cycling from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to Cape Town in South Africa

Two friends who cycled for four months across Africa said it had been the adventure of a lifetime.

Robin Hutchinson, 24, and Cam Wheeler, 31, who live in Suffolk, set off from Ethiopia in early December heading for South Africa.

They travelled south for more than 10,000km (6,200 miles) through eight other countries as they encountered herds of elephants, welcoming local people and beautiful scenery.

Finishing their adventure in mid-April in South Africa, they raised almost £8,000 for St Elizabeth Hospice in Ipswich, which had supported Wheeler's brother, as well as a Kenyan cycling initiative, and now both were eager to get back cycling again.

Contributed Two bearded men stand on a beach at sunset together with the water behind them. The man on the left wears a navy T-shirt and has blonde hair and glasses. The other on the right has long dark dreadlocks and wears a black T-shirt with grey shorts. There is a small boat moored offshore and a wooded area on a far shore behind them, across an expanse of water. — The men said they had been blown away by the support received during their adventure

Both men had experience of cycling in Africa and across the world, but had never cycled this far.

Hutchinson, who grew up in Uganda and now lives in Framlingham, said he had always dreamed about cycling across Uganda, but wanted to do a "bigger journey".

He presented his idea to Wheeler in the pub, and he immediately agreed.

For Wheeler, who lives in Kenton near Framlingham, it was an opportunity to honour his brother, Ali, who died 12 years ago at the age of 24 from a rare sarcoma.

It also allowed him to give back to the hospice and its "superhuman" staff who had looked after Ali in his final days.

When starting out, they had only planned their flight and the first few days of cycling.

Hutchinson said "beyond that, we didn't really have a plan" and "just made sure we had bicycles".

Contributed Two men sit on bikes on the side of a road. They both wear dark helmets and loose shirts. Behind them there are vehicles and people milling about. — Wheeler said he planned to continue fundraising with a party on his farm where he would show off photos and videos of their trip

Over the winter, the pair enjoyed the beautiful sights across Africa, met incredibly friendly locals and made memories for life, documenting it all on an Instagram page.

Through part of Botswana they also travelled down Elephant Highway, a stretch of road frequented by herds of the giant mammals.

Wheeler said that after briefly splitting up from Hutchinson he had a close encounter with a male elephant that began to charge at him.

Fortunately a nearby truck was able to shelter him from the bull.

"You're in awe of what you're experiencing, but you're also quite terrified," he said.

"It's that strange thing of wanting to be safe, but also wanting to enjoy that experience because it's very much a once in a lifetime thing.

"When we cycle in Suffolk we see some rabbits and hares and maybe some deer if we're lucky."

Contributed A man wearing a black cycling helmet takes a selfie with the camera pointed above him. Other people stand around him and also smile at the camera. — Hutchinson said his grandfather had travelled from Uganda down to South Africa in a car in 1963

Contributed A cyclist takes a selfie while riding along a deserted road. He has a silver helmet on, glasses and a red top. Next to him on the right is another cyclist with his thumb up, wearing a grey helmet, light brown cycling jersey and black cycling shorts. Behind them both are two more cyclists wearing normal pedestrian clothes but without helmets. — Friends and family of Wheeler and Hutchinson held a welcome back party for them last month

For Hutchinson, the ride also had a connection to his grandfather who had driven down part of the route following Uganda gaining independence from the UK in 1963.

"It was a humbling moment when we went to Victoria Falls and found the same spot where grandpa set up his camera. Then I set up my camera and walked over to the edge, which now has a railing, but didn't then," he said.

"There's a nice little video of my grandfather walking along there with my dad, who's six. Then I got to go and do the same thing in the same places."

This map created by the pair shows their route through Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.

Contributed A man sitting on a bike shakes hands with another man walking alongside a bike. The man on the left has black dreadlocks that have been tied back and he wears a cream cycling jersey, black cycling shorts and black gloves. The man on the right wears a hat and a sleeveless chequered shirt. There is a sign on the front of his bike with a mobile number and the name of Big Baudi. — Both men said no matter which country they were in, the people were friendly and inviting

Contributed Two men stand together on a ledge that overlooks a large waterfall. One has their arms outstretched in celebration. — Hutchinson got to stand at Victoria Falls, on the Zambezi River on the Zambia/Zimbabwe border, where his 97-year-old grandfather once also stood

The men finished in Cape Town in mid-April and recently returned to Suffolk, getting back in the swing of normal life.

Hutchinson said the first person he visited was his grandfather, now 97 and living in south London.

He said his grandfather was shocked to see how little certain places had changed and that "he was very proud".

As well as raising the money for charity, Hutchinson added that he hoped he had been able to educate people about Africa.

"We wanted to show people that it's a lot more accessible than people realise.

"That's something that is at the core of the trip and the aftermath of the trip that we really want to carry on pushing."

Contributed Two men sitting on bikes next to a deserted road. They rest in front of a sign that reads Welcome to South Africa. They both wear bike helmets and one wears a white cycling top and the other wears a red one. — The pair finished their cycling adventure in Cape Town in South Africa

Contributed A man with short blonde hair sits in a chair at a table and smiles. He wears a navy suit jacket with a blue shirt and gold and dark tie. He holds a staff in one hand with the top of it carved into the shape of a duck's head. — Wheeler's brother Ali died 12 years ago from a rare sarcoma, aged 24

Wheeler also reflected on his late brother.

"Particularly on the harder days where we had to dig deep, I knew he was there supporting me so I know he'll be proud.

"But I know he'll probably make a joke out of it and probably laugh at me for coming up with maybe a little bit of a mad idea."

In tribute to Hutchinson, he added: "I'm so glad I got to do it with Robin... now we're back I feel a sense of attachment to Robin because we both went through that together.

"No-one else knows what it's like apart from the two of us, so it's great that I had him by my side to share it with."

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